Michigan Wolverines Win vs. Oklahoma Had Baker Mayfield Paying Off a Hilarious Bet

The former Oklahoma Sooners QB suffered a big loss when Michigan won the game.

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While Michigan entered Week 2 as a little underdog against Oklahoma, not many people were expecting the Wolverines to win the game — that included former Oklahoma star QB Baker Mayfield. The Tampa Bay starting signal-caller is playing under head coach Todd Bowles, who happens to be the father of Michigan starting LB Troy Bowles.

Of course, there was going to be some kind of wager on the game, and it didn't disappoint Michigan fans. On Wednesday, Mayfield came out for his press conference and was seen wearing a No. 18 Michigan jersey. In the background, Todd Bowles was heard singing the Wolverines' fight song, saying 'Go Blue!'.

"It hurts, it hurts real bad. It's been a rough couple of days. Damn, Todd," Mayfield said. "Todd's son was on the winning side of it. Sooners were not. Therefore I squeezed into this little tank top."

Priceless: #Bucs QB Baker Mayfield walked into his press conference wearing a Michigan tank top, with HC Todd Bowles singing the Wolverines’ fight song.

Bowles’ son, Troy, plays for Michigan, which beat Mayfield’s alma mater, Oklahoma. 😂 pic.twitter.com/oFrUXQRnR2

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 16, 2026

Michigan's stifling defense led the charge

The Wolverines' defense made one bad play in the win over the Sooners, and that was when Michigan had a coverage bust that allowed Mackenzie Alleyne up the seam for a touchdown. Aside from that, Jay Hill's unit was sensational.

And leading the way was Troy Bowles, who led the team with nine tackles in the win. But Michigan's front four caused a lot of duress for John Mateer in the game, and the Wolverines' game plan was great at making Mateer beat them through the air. Michigan wasn't going to allow Mateer to beat it with his legs.

The Wolverines forced two turnovers in the game, had three sacks, and eight tackles for loss. Through two weeks, Michigan has allowed just one touchdown and the Wolverines appear to have one of the top units in the country.

Troy Bowles making a big impact

After losing Ernest Hausmann, Jimmy Rolder, and Cole Sullivan from last season, the Wolverines' linebacker room was the big question mark. But through two weeks, Troy Bowles, Nathaneil Staehling, Chase Taylor, and Co. have answered the bell.

Bowles leads the team with 21 tackles in two games and Staehling is second with 16. Bowles transferred to Michigan from Georgia ahead of last season, and while he saw playing time, he wasn't able to surpass the starting trio.

But now that he had a chance, Bowles is making the most of it and he's impressing. He has been a sure tackler through two games and he's given Michigan a reliable LB to have on the field with Staehling.

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